Prevalence of Preterm Birth Rate During COVID-19 Lockdown in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Riyadh

Abstract

Background On March 3, 2020, the first case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was reported by the Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Within days, the government confirmed more cases and adopted lockdown measures with travel restrictions from March to June 2020. A distinctive coronavirus was isolated from 190,823 patients by June 30. The pandemic resulted in a significant risk to public health. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the rate of premature births. Method In this cross-sectional study, we observed premature births at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The study site is a 1,500-bed teaching hospital, with around 4,500 annual deliveries, 70 beds in level II and level III, and tertiary care NICU. We compared the birth rates among preterm infants between March 1 to June 30, 2017-2019, to the similar calendar months of 2020. Information on nationality, gestational age, and maternal conditions were collected from the medical records. We used the Poisson regression model to assess the preterm birth rate's temporal trends before lockdown versus during lockdown. Results Among 7,226 total live neonates, we recorded 1,320 preterm infants during the study period of 2017-2020. The preterm birth rate per 1,000 live births during lockdown showed a 23% drop in the overall preterm birth rate with Prevented Fraction of 36% in extremely preterm (<28 weeks gestational age) births and 26% in moderate/late premature (32 weeks to 36 weeks + 6 days gestational age) births. The estimated preterm birth rate among the Saudi expats (15.11/1,000 live births) showed an increased tendency compared to Saudi nationals (odds ratio [OR]=1.07; 95% CI: 0.75-1.52) and was statistically not significant during the strict lockdown. Conclusion There was a significant reduction in the birth rate of extremely preterm and moderate/late preterm infants during lockdown when compared to the preceding three years. A national dataset is required to evaluate the extent of lockdown's impact on the preterm birth rate.

COVID‐19 pandemic and population‐level pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in general population: A living systematic review and meta‐analysis (Update#2: November 20, 2021)

“…Of 11 875 records in the initial search, 53 articles were eligible for inclusion, of which 52 were used in the quantitative synthesis 2,7–10,18–66 (Figure 1). Forty full‐text reports were excluded: reasons for the exclusions are provided in Appendix S2.…”

Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in general population: A living systematic review and meta‐analysis (updated Aug 14, 2021)

“…Of 9953 records in the initial search, 45 articles were eligible for inclusion, of which 44 were used in the quantitative synthesis 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 (Figure 1 ). Twenty‐six full‐text reports were excluded: reasons for the exclusions are provided in Appendix S2 .…”

COVID-19 Pandemic–Related Reductions in Pediatric Asthma Exacerbations Corresponded with an Overall Decrease in Respiratory Viral Infections

“…In addition to the devastating morbidity and mortality arising directly from COVID-19, 29,30,[34][35][36] there have been indirect negative effects on various health outcomes. 20,21,26,28 In the case of asthma, however, COVID-19erelated public health measures during the initial months of the pandemic reduced disease burden. [23][24][25]27,37,38 As a continuation of our previous initial observations, 23 the in-depth analyses of the effects of COVID-19erelated public health measures on asthma activity over a longer period of time provide a unique opportunity to study the environmental triggers of asthma exacerbations.…”

“…18,19 The institution and modulation of COVID-19erelated public health measures offer a unique opportunity to study their effects on health outcomes beyond those directly infected, including asthma. 20,21 Asthma symptoms and exacerbations decreased during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, [22][23][24][25] along with factors that impact asthma, such as respiratory viral infections. 23,[26][27][28][29] In a previous publication, we found that during the first 2 months following public health interventions in Philadelphia, in-person asthma visits and steroid prescriptions decreased by more than 80%, with a concomitant decrease in rhinovirus infections and no change in air pollution compared with historical data for the years 2015-2019.…”